Life on the Edge (Re-write)
by Ghostess with the Mostess
Summary: All she wanted to do was keep going about her daily life - go to work, practice her shooting and then go home to play with her little lovebird. But no. Nick Fury had to come along and destroy her happy little bubble. But that's what happens when you owe The Spy your life. And Elizabeth knows now, the devil really does come to collect. Or in this case, Director Fury.
1. Prologue

Elizabeth shivered, her skin breaking out into goosebumps as the cold air leaked into her clothes. She tucked her coat in closer to her chest, the purse barely on her shoulder edging farther and farther down her arm. She let out a little huff, her breath coming out in a white mist, before slamming the car door shut and locking the vehicle. From there it was a quick jog up to the apartment building.

Once inside the building, the woman paused and soaked up the heat gusting from the central air system. Days like this were when Elizabeth thanked whatever deity was up there that she ended up staying in Brussels. Seeing the temperature drop anywhere below zero degrees was rare. Seeing snow on the ground was even more rare. She could go out in her spring jacket without feeling much more than a nip of iciness. Elizabeth very easily could have ended up somewhere in Canada or Russia.

" _Bonsoir_ Elizabeth. A bit chilly outside, isn't it?" A neighbour greeted as Elizabeth passed.

"Oh, _bonsoir_ Madame Carlier," she replied with a smile. "It's getting a bit cold out. Nothing too bad, just yet."

Madame Carlier was a grandmotherly woman who lived in the apartment next to Elizabeth's. She was a kind lady with laugh lines and a few prominent wrinkles. She lived by herself, getting help around her house from her grandchildren or her eldest son.

And she continually tried setting Elizabeth up with her grandson.

"That's good to know. I guess it's a good thing my Arthur is coming to pick me up then," Madame Carlier said, looking past the brunette and out into the street outside the thick double doors. "He's taking me out for our dinner tonight."

Elizabeth smiled. "I hope you and your son have a good time then. _Bonne soirée_."

The elderly lady nodded and smiled as Elizabeth passed her, pressing the button for the elevator. The doors opened without fuss and took her right up to her floor.

The apartment building was one of the nicer ones in the city. The walls were clean, the floors clear of dead insects and dirt. Her apartment was even better. It was always warm, always comforting and it made Elizabeth more content than she'd been in a long time to just walk in and just let the tension seep out of her limbs. She didn't need to worry about someone tracking her. She didn't have to look over her shoulder or check under tables and desks for recording bugs.

She dropped her purse beside the door and kicked her shoes off, relishing in the feeling of cushy carpet under her sore feet. Her jacket came off next, placed back onto the hanger behind the front door. Elizabeth paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. The front of the room still had the lingering scent of vanilla from the candle she'd burned before work earlier in the day.

Elizabeth let out her breath and a frown settled on her face. Under the scent of vanilla was the, barely there, scent of coffee and leather. Two things that she definitely didn't have in her home.

The brunette knelt down beside her purse, making just enough noise to not alarm anyone, or anything, in her apartment. At the bottom of her purse, right where she left it, was the unused handgun she'd bought when she first moved back to Brussels. Elizabeth slowly stood, keeping the gun pressed to her thigh, finger steady on the trigger and stepped out into the living room.

"This is quite the place you have here," a familiar American voice stated before Elizabeth could locate him.

Sitting on her sofa, looking rather comfortable it looked like, was a dark skinned man dressed in leathers and an eye patch. He had a steaming cup of coffee in a take out cup on the table in front of him and a mug on the other side. Her eyes flickered around the room, checking for anyone else. Elizabeth relaxed slightly, noting that there weren't any guns trained on her person and the man chuckled.

"Still as paranoid as ever, Mas. Ah, sorry, it's Desmet right now, isn't it?"

"What do you want, Fury?" The English words felt strange in her mouth, like trying an old familiar treat she used to eat as a child. "Last time I saw you, you released me from a S.H.I.E.L.D. holding cell."

"And I told you then that I'd be back to collect a favour from you for getting you out," Fury replied dryly. He grabbed his take out cup and took a long drink. He set it back down on it's coaster and looked across the room, meeting Elizabeth's eyes with his single one. "I've come to collect, Agent Mas."

The brunette woman snorted softly. "I haven't been an agent in four years, Fury. If you wanted someone with an agent's abilities, you should have asked sooner."

"Well, I didn't need you 'sooner'. I need you now."

"Sorry, Fury, you're not really my type."

Elizabeth practically felt the temperature in the room drop a few degrees. The man narrowed his eye at her and slowly stood up from the sofa. "This is no joking matter, Mas. There was an incident in New Mexico that opened our eyes about the protection of America and of the world."

The world? Isn't that being a bit over-dramatic? Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at the spy.

"I'm putting together a profile for a team. A team in which you will be playing a part in," Fury continued.

"You make it sound like I have no choice in the matter," she muttered and sat down on the second sofa across from Fury. She took the mug and took a long sip as Fury sat back down. Peppermint tea. Elizabeth let out a soft sigh and set the mug down. "Last I checked, I haven't been owned by an organization since I was twenty-five."

"That's where you're wrong," Fury stated as he slowly leaned forward and clasped his hands in front of him. "You've been owned by S.H.I.E.L.D. since the day you stepped foot outside that holding cell."

"Well, don't sugar coat it, sweetheart," Elizabeth muttered under her breath.

"Oh, I won't, Creampuff. You sold your soul to me when you took what I was offering. Today, I am your devil Mas, and I have come to collect what you owe me."

"Fury, how the hell am I supposed to go back into action without a moments notice? I haven't bee field ready for years now." Elizabeth leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Who do you think you're trying to kid', Mas?" Fury leaned back as well, a sarcastic smirk on his lips. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has been tracking you since you arrived in Brussels. I've had spies planted throughout your entire social circle." The smirk dropped and Fury started ticking named off, using his fingers to count each one. "Lander Smit, your neighbour on the first floor. Charlotte Sergeant, the barista at the café you seem to love so much. Aline Carlier is nearly retired along with her son Arthur Carlier. Emiel and Liene Bonhomme, the couple from your parrot club, are two very well trained spies. Also, I didn't really picture you as being a bird person -"

"All right, that's enough. I get it. You've got a lot of creepy ass spies watching my every move," Elizabeth said, cutting off the man.

"Not only are those creepy ass spies watching your every move, but they've been watching you go for your daily run every day before work. And instead of going out for drinks with your co-workers, you go to a private shooting range for two hours and you can completely wipe the floor with anyone there. You've been doing both yoga and gymnastic classes, brushing up on your Russian, Italian, Spanish and your Hindi." Fury rose an eyebrow. "I think that all classifies as field ready, don't you?"

"I hate spies."

"Your best friend is a spy."

"Fine then, let me correct myself. I hate _American_ spies."

"That may be, but as it turns out, this American spy owns your ass," Fury said with another smirk. The brunette sat there quietly, staring down Fury with her stormy grey eyes. The man leaned forward once more. "Fine then, let me put it another way. If you don't do what I'm asking, then I'll have you tossed into a prison cell faster than you can say 'pumpkin pie'."

"Fantastic," she muttered. "Fine then. How long do I have to pack?"

"I'll have a car around tomorrow afternoon. Be ready by then. Just pack the essentials, and I'm assuming whatever you'll need for that blob of feather with feet."

"Damn right," Elizabeth muttered. "And he's a lovebird, not a blob with feet."

Fury stood, probably ignoring her. "The car will take you up to the airport. You've got a 2 o'clock flight back to the States." He brushed off his ridiculous leather coat and quickly drained the rest of his coffee. He set the cup back down on the table, looking once more over at Elizabeth. "See you then, Agent Mas."

The leather coat billowed a bit as the spy marched himself out of her apartment, reminding Elizabeth a little bit of the old black and white vampire movies she used to watch as a kid. When the door closed behind him she huffed, shoulders drooping, and she slumped into the couch cushions.

" _Merde_."

* * *

 **Translations \- **

_Bonsoir -_ Good evening/night (It's a greeting)

 _Bonne soirée -_ Good evening/night (It's a farewell)

 _Merde -_ Basically means shit

 **Hello there, friends!**

 **Yes, 'tis I! The wonderful Ghost! And I have come back to you now with this new, improved version of _Life on the Edge._**

 **Yeah, yeah. I know it's very different from the first chapter of the old one, but if you re-read the summary for the original, it was actually supposed to go something like this. I was trying really hard to keep it more like the original when I first started re-writing and that's probably why it took me so long to get it out. Also, I might have accidently deleted my first copy of the new chapter...**

 **So, I'd really love it if you dropped a review for me and let me know what you think about the changes. Let me know if you still like Elizabeth (I think I made her a little bit more sarcastic in this version), what you thought of my Fury writing skills and if you'd like to see more!**

 **(I'm still going to keep writing even if you tell me you hated it... Just so you know.)**

 **Your friend,**

 **Sam :)**


	2. Chapter 1

The busy, colourful streets of New York City were like a smack in the face. Apparently, Elizabeth had forgotten the wide variety of differences between American cities and the quiet, muted colours of her European cities. There were advertisements flashing throughout the entire airport as soon as she stepped off the plane and strangers chatting while they waited for their flights. Apparently it was a common thing when you were flying alone.

At least it wasn't cold though.

There was a man standing outside a sleek black car waiting for her. The moment Elizabeth stepped outside the bustling airport, he walked up to her and took her rolling carry-on from her hand. He opened the trunk of the car and set the luggage inside with the rest of her suitcases.

Once the trunk was shut, the man turned to her. "It's nice to meet you, Agent Mas. My name is Phil Coulson and I will be your new handler during your time with S.H.I.E.L.D."

Elizabeth blinked. She'd expected a handler at some point, she was an assassin working for a spy agency after all. But she hadn't expected to meet them right away, or for them to be so calm and neat looking. He was average height for an American man. He had brown, thinning hair and intelligent grey eyes set under low eyebrows.

Elizabeth's last handler, if you wanted to call him that, was Daniel Koemans. He'd been a mentor and somewhat of a father figure to Elizabeth during her earlier years, back when she'd first started training to be what she was. The Dutch man had a very creative way of teaching and Elizabeth had learnt quickly from him. Agent Coulson didn't seem to be anything like Koemans had been. He seemed much more professional about his work.

Coulson ignored her lack of response and stood in front of her, clasping his hands in front of him. "Director Fury has given you a free day today to get used to the changes. You've been given an apartment in Upper West Side from S.H.I.E.L.D. Tomorrow, an agent will be arriving at to pick you up for eight and you'll be brought to our training facility."

"You guys don't mess around," Elizabeth muttered, her light accent colouring her words.

"No. No, we don't."

After that, Coulson drove the brunette by Central Park on their way to her new home. It was strange to see such a green area surrounded by city life. The agent driving had told her that the park was only a ten minute walk from her apartment. Elizabeth was pretty impressed with her new living situation. Back in Brussels her home had been nice, but it hadn't been close to her work or to the stores she shopped at. This new apartment as in walking distance to the biggest city park she'd ever seen and multiple cafés where she could get her morning tea.

Better yet? There was _so much to look at_!

When they rolled up in front of the building that would be her home, Elizabeth took a moment to just stare. The building was tall, covered in glass windows and standing at the entrance was a smartly dressed man, nodding and greeting people as they went in and out of the place. She felt her jaw drop a little.

Putain de merde. _They got me an apartment with a freaking doorman_ , Elizabeth thought to herself, eyeing up the building's front.

"You S.H.I.E.L.D. guys really take your employment strategies to far," she said, her voice sounding dazed even to her.

"We like our agents to have the best care we can give them. After all, you're risking your lives for your country," Coulson replied. "But you pay the rent yourself."

She snorted at that before popping open the door. The cold chill quickly invaded her warm skin as she went to the back seat and found the covered shipping box strapped into one of the seats.

"Director Fury said you're fond of birds," Coulson remarked as he poked his head out from the trunk.

"I'm fond of a lot of things," Elizabeth replied as she grabbed the box containing her precious lovebird.

The man came around to meet her as she closed the car door. He had the two thick suitcases Elizabeth had packed in either hand, their handles extended so that Coulson could easily roll them along behind him. She grabbed her carry on from the trunk with her free hand and slammed it closed. The agent nodded and started towards the apartment building.

Her door was on the seventeenth floor and the inside was both beautiful and perfectly furnished. The apartment was a one bedroom with an open concept and multiple full length windows in the living room area. To one side of the entrance was a nice sized closet and on the other was the small kitchen. Three bar chairs sat on the other side of the kitchen counter with a thin divider between the eating area and the cooking area. Just between the living room and where the stools sat was where the room extended for the bedroom door, bathroom door and a small closet containing the washer and dryer were.

When Elizabeth walked into her new bedroom, she almost gasped in pure joy. Two of the four walls were covered in windows - giving an amazing view of the city before her.

She turned to Coulson, who had come in with her to drop off her luggage. "This entire place is mine," she went to say, but it came out more of a question.

The man chuckled a little and nodded. "Everything the light touches."

By that point she was sure that he was teasing her. Though, she did enjoy the Disney reference. " _Est trop forte_ ," she whispered to herself, taking another glance around the room.

"So, I'll leave you to get everything figured out. I made sure to get a decent cage brought in for your friend there," Coulson nodded to the box still in Elizabeth's tight grip. "So you can get your friend situated as well."

" _Merci beaucoup_ , Agent Coulson."

"You're welcome. I'll see you tomorrow, Agent Mas."

He left, letting the door in the other room close loudly. Elizabeth took one more look around her bedroom and grinned giddily to herself.

She rushed into the living room, finding a sturdy looking and tall bird cage sitting in front of the large middle window, right across from the coffee table. The brunette opened the cage, letting the door swing open and then turned to set the box in her hands on the table.

Inside was the adorable face of her white faced violet lovebird. He made a clicking sound at her and Elizabeth couldn't help but repeat the sound back at him.

" _Bonjour_ Felix." She found herself easily slipping back into French once she was alone. She opened the shipping box and held out two fingers for the bird. "Look at our new home. It's beautiful, right?" Felix jumped out onto her offered fingers and chirped at Elizabeth.

She brought the blue dark green and white bird up to her shoulder and he jumped down onto it. "All right, time to get unpacked," she said to Felix before walking back into the bedroom.

She'd probably have to find the cage toys and perches before anything else.

* * *

She'd set the alarm on her phone for six am, hoping beyond hope that she'd be able to get up with minimal snooze hits. She'd given Felix fresh water and covered the lovebird up. He'd been pretty upset about being put to bed early. Elizabeth had simply chuckled and left him to sleep while she changed into some loose, comfortable clothes.

And as soon as the alarm went off in the morning Elizabeth swore, smacking around on the night stand for her phone. _Be Our Guest_ blared loudly through the room in French and just over it Elizabeth could hear Felix screech in disgruntlement. When her hand finally brushed over the phone, she ripped it from the charging cord and jammed her thumb down on the 'DISMISS' button.

The voice of Lumiere cut off instantly and the brunette let out a loud huff. She blurrily blinked around the room, trying to get her bearings. The bright lights of the city glowed through the thin blinds covering the windows, brightening Elizabeth's bedroom. She could clearly see the stack of books she'd left in the corner the last night and the small, neatly folded stack of clothes on her desk.

"Damn Fury, making me get up at ridiculous hours," she muttered to herself and slowly pushed herself out of bed. "I haven't gotten up this early since freaking Slovenia."

She grumbled her way across the room and into the bathroom. She showered, already regretting not packing her hair straightener. Within an hour her dark hair would be back to its natural messy curls. Elizabeth pursed her lips, looking into the mirror, as she tied her wet hair back to keep it out of her face. She probably wouldn't go near the mirror again for the rest of the day. She knew that she'd look younger with her natural hair. She knew she'd only see the girl she'd been back then, back when everything hurt and nothing was good.

Elizabeth tore her eyes away from her reflection and towelled off the rest of her body.

The car arrived a little over an hour after. She'd finished her regular morning chores - waking up the bird, making breakfast, brushing her teeth - and she'd dressed in simple clothes, not exactly sure if she'd actually be doing any training. She wasn't really sure what Fury expected her to do on her first day.

The same sleek black car was stopped in front of the apartment building. A young man sat, leaning against the passenger side door. "Good morning, Agent Mas. I've heard a lot of good things about you." He smiled and Elizabeth inwardly cringed. She knew that look. "My name is Agent Bryce Hobbs and for the time being I've been assigned the task of being your partner."

 _Damn. I hate it when I'm right_ , she thought to herself.

Bryce Hobbs was a slightly taller than the average man, standing a good five or six inches above the woman. He had short, close cut black hair, narrow hazel eyes and a solid, angular jaw. If she had to guess, he probably had some Asian heritage.

Elizabeth stared down the man. Hobbs didn't even blink.

"How long have you been an active agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

Without hesitating the agent replied, "Three years now."

"Only three? That's not a very long time."

"It's long enough to put me on clearance level four."

She raised an eyebrow. "And that's supposed to impress me?"

"Well, I'm no level seven, but I'm impressive enough as I am."

Elizabeth scoffed and shook her head. "I take it first day on the job is actually 'get to know your partner' day?"

Hobbs shook his head and walked around to the drivers side, sliding into the seat. "The first day is 'see who can kick who's ass fastest' day," he said as Elizabeth took her seat beside him. "Sound like fun, right?"

"Sure. Whatever you say, Sunshine." He gave her an exasperated look before starting the car. "I guess you're not a fan of nicknames."

"Oh no, they're fine, Sweet Pea. But generally I prefer to Ace or Rocky over Sunshine," he replied without looking away from the road.

"Sucks to be you then, Buttercup."

Hobbs chuckled under his breath. "I guess working with you is going to be very interesting."

They arrived at the training facility just before eight-thirty and already the place was thriving with life. Elizabeth let out a little groan and let her head fall back against the seat. She hated that she used to be like that - scurrying around like a well trained mouse looking for cheese. Hated that she'd probably end up like that again.

Hobbs pulled around to the parking lot in the back and he turned off the car. "So, ready to have your ass handed to you?"

The brunette hauled herself out of the vehicle and frowned at the facility. "They _did_ tell you who I am, right?"

He stood from the car and slammed the door shut. "Level four, remember? I'm on a need-to-know basis with you," he replied with a shrug.

"Well, then I should tell you - I wont be the one getting my ass handed over."

* * *

 **Translations** **-**

 _Putain de merde -_ Holy shit (Could also mean 'god dammit' or 'fucking hell')

 _Est trop forte_ \- kickass (literally translates to 'too strong' but is used for kickass)

 _Merci beaucoup_ \- Thank you

(If my translations are wrong, PLEASE let me know. I don't want to offending anyone or writing the wrong things)

 **Hello my sweets!**

 **I'm back again with a new chapter! I've introduced Phil (Which I'm super happy about cause I absolutely Agent Phil "His First Name Is Agent" Coulson) and a new member of my little team here. I'm hoping to keep Hobbs around for a while, but I don't know what the end game is for him just yet.**

 **Oh! And I'm bringing in a surprise guest next chapter! And I can tell you now that it isn't our favourite archer.**

 **Also, we'll get to see some of past Elizabeth. Get to see the deadly assassin she's hiding this new layer of sass and sarcasm.**

 ** _Carly Carnations,_ I actually don't plan on introducing the Avengers all at once. Yes, she'll be an Avenger like Clint or Natasha, but just like them she's a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. She'll be meeting the Avengers that she can throughout the first half of the story. (Obviously she won't be meeting Thor or Bruce like she would the others. It might be a little hard for her to casually meet an Asgardian in another time/dimension)**

 **So, drop a review for me. Tell me what 'cha think of my fanfic and maybe give some helpful criticism. I promise that I don't bite.**

 **Your friend,**

 **Sam :)**


	3. Chapter 2

It felt strange being back in the tight tank tops and loose yoga pants.

Elizabeth stopped for a minute, her eyes flickering back and forth over the ridiculously huge gym. There were training mats laid out on one side, training equipment on the other side and a running track built high above the training room. There were groups of agents everywhere and none of their faces were familiar to her. It was like having a weird sense of deja vu with a twist. Or watching a familiar movie and having the ending changed on you.

"So, right or left, Pumpkin?" Hobbs suddenly asked, breaking Elizabeth out of her train of thought.

"Pardon?"

He nodded his head to the training mats. "Left mats or right?"

She pulled a hair elastic from around her wrist and quickly tied her messy curls back. "Right's always been my best side."

"Right it is then." He moved away from the door and easily merged with a group waiting on the side of the mats.

She watched as agents greeted Hobbs as he weaved through the group. They all seemed relatively young, probably around the same age as the man. Elizabeth slowly followed, kicking her shoes off once she found her way over to Hobbs' side. He gave her a strange look, his eyes darting down to her feet.

"It's comfy," she said, giving a little shrug.

Hobbs rolled his eyes, a little smile on his lips. "Alright then, Twinkle Toes. Were up next." Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, looking around them at the large group of other agents. "Yeah, they all wanna see what you've got. You're the new kid in the class," he said.

The others around them nodded, grinning widely. She could hear someone near he back making a bet and she sighed.

 _Great. I'm turning into a show pony._

She spent their wait warming up - stretching out her muscles and rolling her joints to make sure everything was nice and loose. The pair on the mats finished up and Elizabeth was nearly pushed on in their place. She let out a little huff, walking to the far side, tossing a hard look over her shoulder and making sure her hair was tied tight. When she turned back to face Hobbs, he stood there staring at her.

"You sure I'm not going to crush those toes of yours, Pretty Girl?"

"You sure you'll even get that close, Muffin?"

Sure, she'd told Fury that she wasn't ready for active duty. Sure, she hadn't been on the field in a while, but like he'd said, she'd been keeping up with her training. Elizabeth was just as flexible, just as strong, just as fast as she'd been when she was twenty-three.

She let her body fall into its natural position, relaxing all her muscles and letting out a slow breath. Hobbs nodded, waiting till she nodded back before running at the woman. Elizabeth tensed and quickly moved forward, dropping down and swinging her leg out towards Hobbs. The man jumped over her, swivelling on his heel and kicking out at her.

Elizabeth rolled out of the way, her back hitting hard against the mat before she was on her feet again. Hobbs came after her again and she quickly brought her fists up. She was slightly disappointed when he instantly took a step back from her, keeping his eyes trained firmly on her.

"You're quick," he said.

She shrugged. "You're just easy to read."

Hobbs furrowed his brows and brought his hands up, mirroring her. Elizabeth took a step forward, watching the man follow her, like this was some kind of dance. She slid her foot forward, her eyes taking in every twitch his arms or legs made. When his body was still she struked out, aiming a fist at Hobbs' jaw.

He moved back just at the last second, her fist missing by a hair. She brought her other fist out, stepping forward with it and managed to land a hit. Hobbs stumbled back a little before tensing again. He came forward and sung, missing each time he went to hit the woman.

Elizabeth smirked a little and Hobbs scowled. She could tell that he was getting a little bit frustrated. She moved forward and brought her foot up, hitting her partner in the chest. He fell back, and stayed there for a moment.

"Not so light on your feet, Twinkle Toes?"

"Now you're copying me?" Hobbs wheezed. Elizabeth chuckled and helped him up. "Thanks Munchkin."

As soon as he was up, he was swinging again. Elizabeth took a few steps back. "I'm not that small," she grunted out just as one of his fists landed on her collarbone. He followed up quickly with a kick to her stomach.

Elizabeth was forced back from the kick, her lungs gasping for air. Hobbs came at her again and the brunette was forced to move away, keeping match with his movements while trying to catch her breath.

"Now who's light on their feet, Sugarplum?"

As soon as she was able to catch her breath, Elizabeth took another quick step back before twisting around and bringing her leg up as high as it would go, her bare heel catching Hobbs in the cheek. The man was tossed to the side and hit the mats.

"Damn, Mas! It's training!"

Elizabeth dropped her leg and placed her hands on her hips. "Training is to prepare for real life battles. If you can't take a hit, then you've got no place on the field."

"But you don't injure your team!"

She knew what he meant. They were both part of the same organization, both working for the same goal. But it made something in Elizabeth cringe how easily he used the word. Fury had too but it was different with Hobbs. He had this look in his eyes like he really believed that they were going to work together like a well oiled team, live together, be partners that would watch each others backs. It made her think of her family. Of loud laughter in the training room. Of the gently strumming of guitars in the summer.

Instead of letting the feelings of loss and anger swallow her up, Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. "You've been assigned to me Agent Hobbs, but you are not part of my team."

"Don't be childish, Mas."

"Don't be so ignorant, Hobbs. I was trained to be part of a team. I _know_ how to act in a team. _You_ are not my team."

Hobbs quickly ran a hand over his hair, his face twisted into some ugly expression of anger. "And where is this team of yours? Hm?"

"Dead or missing," she replied coldly.

Hobbs seemed to deflate a little at that. Elizabeth relaxed her shoulders and let her hands slip off her hips. She moved off the mat and grabbed her shoes from the ground, continuing her way out of the gym.

* * *

She wanted to find a corner and hide in it. She didn't want to talk to anyone. Didn't want to see another human being. She didn't even want to hear her own voice. But no one else seemed to have gotten the memo. Every time she turned a corner was someone who wanted to introduce themselves or ask her something.

It made her want to scream.

"You're looking a little worse for wear, Agent Mas. S.H.I.E.L.D. life not to your liking?"

Elizabeth looked up from her feet and found, once again, the Director staring at her with a raised eyebrow.

 _This man is freaking everywhere!_

She scowled, but stopped walking just a few feet from the darkly dressed man. "You said I'd be placed on a team, not partnered with some naive kid."

She could have sworn that eyebrow rose a few centimeters higher. "I said I'd be putting together a profile for a team. The entire thing is still up in there right now." He paused and then frowned. "I put you with Agent Hobbs. He's got three years as an agent."

"Yeah, and no experience as a two man team, or _any_ field experience."

"Didn't you ever work with younger agents in the Valkyrie Program?" Elizabeth frowned and shook her head. "Well, let this be a lesson for you then. You work with Hobbs and train him up a bit and when the project I'm working on gets approval you'll be perfectly capable of working with children."

Did that mean her entire future was set around training newbies?

"That isn't what you brought me in for, Fury -" The man cleared his throat and Elizabeth just stared uninterestedly back at him. No way in hell was she calling him 'Director Fury'. "You took me out of a perfectly normal life to babysit and train a bunch of kids?"

Fury shook his head and let out a sigh. "The group you'll be working with aren't children. Some of them just have the mentality of a child and it'll be just as activating as working with a kid."

" _Fantastique_ ," she mumbled.

"But that's not why I came to find you," Fury said, ignoring her sarcasm.

"Oh yeah? Come to tell me I'm on diaper changing duty next?"

He ignored her again. He turned and started walking down the hall. Elizabeth frowned, only now noticing the stares she was getting from the agents in the hall around her. There was a pair across from her, just staring with wide bewildered eyes.

 _Right. I guess not many people talk back to the Director and their boss._

She shook her head and quickly caught up with Fury, her bare feet slapping against the floor. She hadn't really wanted to put her shoes back on after her 'training' session. It felt better to feel the vibrations under her feet.

"You've been keeping up with your medication, right?" Fury suddenly asked, not looking back at her.

"Of course I have."

"Good. Now, I want you to stop taking them."

The brunette tilted her head. "And why's that?"

Fury kept walking and Elizabeth had no idea where they were headed. "They were a danger to you while you were playing civilian. You could have easily been found out if you'd accidently used your abilities on someone else. Now, you're in need of them again and I don't want you still getting used to them when you're back on the field."

Simple enough, so there was probably some other reason. "You realize that Zef Gelens won't be pleased when he finds out one of his top enforcement officers is working with the enemy."

"Is that how you see us still, Agent Mas?" This time Fury did look over his shoulder at her.

"It's been hard wired into me. It's kind of hard to forget something like that."

He nodded. "You're right, Gelens won't be happy about that. But he'll probably send out his best to take you out."

"So you're using me as bait to get to the Valkyrie."

"Nothing gets past you." Elizabeth scowled at the back of his head, nearly running into him when he stopped. "But you won't be the only bait I'll be using."

"What?"

Fury moved away from the door he'd stopped in front of. Elizabeth didn't recognize where they were, but she was sure it was somewhere in the southern section of the facility. She looked at him, her nose slightly scrunched in confusion. Instead of answering her unasked question, Fury simply gestured to the door with an expectant expression.

"What? You can't open doors by yourself?" She grumbled and stepped forward, turning the knob.

Inside was a large conference room with massive windows giving a nice view of the front of the building. There was a large circular table with two people sitting relaxed at it. The first was a lean looking woman with tied back blond hair and a nice heart shaped face. The other was a very tall man covered in freckles and deep set green eyes.

"Sofie? Edwin?"

"Hi Eli," the woman greeted with a wide smile.

* * *

 **Hello my lovely readers!**

 **How is everyone tonight? Or this morning. Or evening... You get it. I'd like to just say that I'm perfectly chilly and I'm loving it. After two months of ridiculously hot weather, we're finally getting some cool days. Plus, I just finished watching the last _Night at the Museum_ movie and my heart is still slightly in pain.**

 **So, chapter two... Ya like?**

 **I feel like it was a little rushed, but I also _really_ wanted to get in that last part along with the argument between Elizabeth and Bryce. I'm actually loving his character so far. He's a little big headed but still a cinnamon heart under it. (Cinnamon heart - he's sarcastic and witty while being a giant softy.) I can't wait to see him in more and more chapters.**

 **Also, yes, there have been a few changes. I changed the name of the group Eli was in before S.H.I.E.L.D. to the Valkyrie Program. I'm still kind of on the fence about it... Maybe if you guys have any better ideas I'll change it. But, anything is better than The Bureau. Very bland. Very blah.**

 **Also, I might have made a little (huge, drastic) change to Elizabeth's powers, as well as what she was infected with as fetus Eli. You guys will get to see that later :D**

 **Also? You're welcome for the semi-cliff hanger!**

 **Your friend,**

 **Sam :)**


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